One

Space. The final frontier. A vast ocean of nothingness, an inky black expanse between the distant stars, a big, stupendous, amazingly-sized enormous huge giant infinity of stuff.

Darren didn't like it. It made him feel uneasy.

He stood staring out from the ship's bridge, the only illumination being the green light from the screens of his computer. He couldn't see a damn thing out there, which was very disconcerting, because it meant there wasn't anything there to see.

Tearing his eyes away from the glass, he turned instead to the screen of the computer. Even out here, there were fortunately ways to keep busy. He could perhaps play a game or something, to keep himself from going crazy. He sat down by one of the monitors, ready to start up a program – any program, really – when he noticed a little flashing symbol in the corner of the screen.

“Huh. That's odd. What's this do again?” he thought to himself, pulling it up to full-screen.

Moments later, he was hurtling down the corridor. “Krystof! Krystof! Wake up!”

He tore open the door to his companions' quarters, and the other man jerked awake, confusedly trying to untangle himself from his sheets. He grabbed a gun from the bedside table, and leaped out of bed, still wearing his sleep mask.

“What? What? Are we being attacked?”

“Whoa, Krystof, careful! Don't wave that thing around.”

The other man angrily tugged the blindfold from his face, throwing it aside. He blinked at the sudden change in light, shielding his face with his gun arm.

“Jesus, Darren, don't you know how to knock? Don't startle me like that.”

“I'm sorry, it's just... Come on. You've got to see this.”